Family is More than Blood
by TMNTfan1
Summary: Annie Sullivan is left alone in the world with her son when her parents are killed, but she happens upon the Weasley family, who takes her and her son in as one of their own. This is going to be a four part or five part story, let me know what you think as you read it. Warning: Rated T for mentions of rape, but nothing graphic.
1. Chapter 1

My feet stung with every step I took, little pieces of gravel cutting into my already-blood-covered feet. My whole body ached, and my arms felt like they were going to fall off with the tiny bundle cradled to my chest. Ten pounds would normally not be a problem for me to carry, but after walking through most of the night it felt like I was carrying a sack of rocks.

Despite the night having been chilly, and my feet nearly going numb, I had sweat sticking to my forehead from the walk, and the sun that was now rising was shining right in my face.

I was considering stopping for a break, to rest my feet and check on the baby in my arms, who had gone scarily quiet after nearly three hours of constant crying. Just as I was nearly at a shaded patch of grass under a tree that looked heavenly, I spotted something from around the bend in the road.

Walking further along the path, I spotted a quaint, old cottage with vines growing up the walls and a stone chimney on the roof.

Gathering what little strength I had left, I continued along the dirt path toward the house. I didn't know if anyone was home or not, but I didn't have anywhere else to go.

When I reached the front door, I shifted the baby into one arm so I could knock with my other hand. There was several moments of silence, and I considered knocking again, when a voice called through the door.

"Who is it?" it was a man's voice, and he sounded guarded.

I cleared my throat before calling back, "My name's Annie Sullivan. Please, I need help. My parents were killed and I've been walking all night, all I've got on me is my pajamas and my wand. And my son! He hasn't had anything to eat for hours, and he's gone really quiet and I'm scared. Please! I need some help!" I pleaded, tears beginning to leak from my eyes again.

There was a few more moments of silence where I felt despair starting to fill my veins. Then, I heard a few locks clicking and the door slowly opened.

A tall, slender man with thin, red hair stood before me. He had glasses over his blue eyes and a wand in one hand. He looked me over and I could see sympathy and worry warring with his desire to keep his guard up. I imagined I must've been a sight. Wearing a baby blue cotton nightgown to my knees, dirt and blood covering my bare feet, tearstains turned any dirt on my face to dried mud, my shoulder-length honey-colored hair windswept and knotted, and a tiny baby clutched to my chest.

Just past the man in the doorway, I could see at least two women, one older with short, gray hair and a beak-like nose, and the other a short, plump woman with red hair. I felt like there were other people inside, but I couldn't see them.

"What did you say your name was?" the man asked me.

"Annie Sullivan." I answered weakly.

"And…how old are you?" he questioned hesitantly, looking me over again.

"Seventeen." I whispered, looking down. I heard someone make a 'tsk' sound inside, but I didn't look up.

"Well…" the man looked like he was struggling to say something, and I bit my lip. They probably didn't know how to 'politely' turn me away.

"Hold on." a new voice spoke before another redhead stepped up behind the older man. I blinked, recognizing him immediately. It was one of the Weasley twins.

"Annie Sullivan?" he repeated, looking me over, his eyes lingering slightly on the baby in my arms. I blushed and nodded. "I remember you from Hogwarts."

"I remember you, too." I answered.

The twin, I'm not positive which one it was, glanced at the older man, who I'm guessing was Arthur Weasley. He then looked down at me. "What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

I blinked. "Hufflepuff." I answered. He nodded.

"Do you remember what year I was banned from Quiddich, and why?"

I thought about it for a moment before answering, "It was your guys' seventh year, the year Umbridge was in charge." I paused to swallow as I thought about the next part. "And…Draco Malfoy and some Slytherins made up a mean song about your brother, Ron. Harry Potter and…George," I glanced at the twin, still unsure if it was George or Fred, "got into a fight with them, but Fred was held back by some of your Gryffindor teammates."

The twin nodded with a satisfied grin before turning to his father. Arthur looked between me and his son for a moment.

"Fred, anyone who was at the game could've known that. And anyone connected to Umbridge, or the Ministry. We can't risk anything." he whispered to his son, not wanting me to hear them. _Fred_ bit his lip for a moment before turning and smirking down at me.

"Early on in my seventh year, which would've been your…fifth year, something _almost_ hit you. What happened?"

My eyes widened at the memory, having almost forgotten it. "A bludger flew close to the stands and almost hit me, but you flew by and beat it away. Then you…yeah." I finished with a blush, remembering that, I'm assuming it was, Fred had winked at me after he knocked the bludger away.

As if reading my mind, Fred winked at me again, causing my blush to spread down my neck.

"So, does that prove it's her now, Dad?" another guy's voice asked, whom I'm assuming was George since they sounded very similar.

"Yes, that should be fine. Terribly sorry Ms. Sullivan. We can't risk anything lately with…You-Know-Who's followers lurking about and all. Anyone can easily get a hold of Polyjuice potion nowadays." Arthur explained quietly, stepping aside and gesturing me into the house.

"I understand." I spoke quietly as I hesitated in the doorway. I didn't want to get blood and dirt all over the floor.

The plump, redheaded woman must have noticed me glancing at my feet, because she hurried forward and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Oh, don't worry about the floor, dear. Let's get you up to the bathroom to wash you up. Does your baby drink milk?"

"Um, yes he does." I answered quietly.

"Good. Arthur, could you make up a bottle of milk, please dear. And George, could you please get the medical kit from the kitchen please?"

"Sure mum." George said as he and Arthur left the room in the opposite direction.

"Thank you so much for helping me." I whispered, feeling tears burn my eyes as we walked up a flight of stairs and into a bathroom.

"Oh, it's no problem at all. In times like these everyone needs someone to lean on." she assured me. "Now, you have a seat on the loo there, dear, and I'll start cleaning up your feet. Those must've been painful for you to walk on." she rambled a bit as I sat down on the closed toilet seat. Once seated, I pulled my son away from my chest to lay him down on my lap, both my hands under his head. His eyes were closed and he looked asleep. I could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest. He squirmed a bit at the new position I had him in.

The woman knelt down in front of me with a bowl of warm water and a rag that she had summoned to her.

"I'm sorry, I don't know your name." I spoke quietly, suddenly feeling like I was being rude.

"Oh, you can call me Molly, dear. I'm Fred and George's mum." she smiled warmly up at me before taking one of my feet in her hand and cleaning it with the other. The baby in my lap squirmed a bit, opening his eyes. He started whimpering and his chubby face scrunched up. I bounced my one knee that Molly wasn't holding, quietly shushing him in hopes that he wouldn't start screaming again. I knew he was hungry, but I prayed he could hold on a few minutes for Mr. Weasley to get some milk.

Molly smiled at my son before looking down again. "He's a beautiful child. What's his name?"

"Adam John Sullivan. He's about four months old." I answered, not taking my eyes off my son's face as he stared back at me with bright green eyes, my eyes, thankfully.

Mr. Weasley appeared in the doorway then with a bottle in his hand, George peaking over his shoulder. He handed me the bottle, which I put in Adam's mouth as I supported his head with one hand. He drank it greedily, his tiny fingers clawing at the sides.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I really appreciate all this." I smiled at him.

"Oh, call me Arthur. And you're very welcome." Arthur smiled warmly at me as he stepped to the side to allow George to hand his mum the kit. Arthur gently touched Molly's shoulder, "I'm going to Floo Bill quick, dear."

Molly nodded, focusing on healing my feet with some potion she'd pulled out of the kit. Arthur left and I glanced up at George just as he turned to watch his dad leave. My eyes zeroed in on the bump where his ear should've been. My eyes widened and I couldn't school my expression before George looked back at me. He blinked before smiling in an understanding way.

"Are you wondering about my ear?" he asked kindly. I bit my lip and nodded sheepishly.

"It's okay." he reassured me, "It got blasted off with Dark Magic, so it couldn't be saved. Funny enough, it was Snape who did it."

"Professor Snape?!" I asked in shock.

George nodded. "Yup. But it happened months ago. I actually don't mind it too much, bit of a battle scar. And I'm still the better looking twin." he joked, making me smile slightly.

"George, that's enough. Why don't you go downstairs?" Molly suggested tightly.

George winked at me. "She hates it when we talk about it."

"George!" Molly snapped, glaring over her shoulder at him.

"I'm going!" he shouted as he hurried out of the room.

I bit my lips together to keep myself from laughing while Molly shook her head, mumbling under her breath about idiot boys.

After Molly helped me clean up, both myself and Adam, she got me something to eat and then set me up in one of the spare bedrooms. I'd asked how a family as big as theirs could fit in this small cottage, since the Weasley family was known for their numbers, and she explained they'd had to go into hiding and were staying with a relative.

Molly was even kind enough to Transfigure one of the drawers into a simple, wooden baby cradle.

The only problem was, Adam didn't seem to want to settle. I had just given him another bottle before going into the room, so he wasn't hungry, and I'd already changed him twice, and he smelled fine, so it wasn't his diaper. I was rocking him, pacing with him, bouncing him. I tried everything I could think of and he would either be crying or fussing. He wouldn't settle down.

Someone cleared their throat and I looked toward the door, which had been closed. Fred had opened the door to peak inside and was smiling at me.

"You should probably get some sleep after the night you had." he pointed out with a smile.

I wrinkled my nose sarcastically at him as I turned to pace some more. "I would be asleep, but Adam doesn't want to settle down. So it's either this, or a screaming baby. Which would you prefer?"

"I could put a silencing charm on this room." Fred suggested with a grin.

I glared at him. "I'm joking Annie, chill." he held up his hands and entered the room, closing the door behind him. He took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched me pace, holding my son to my chest and shoulder.

"Sooo…to be honest, you're probably the last person I would've expected to be a teen mom and dropped out of school. Didn't you get strait O's?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I did not get strait O's, Fred. Yes, I got quite a few O's and E's, but I barely got an A in Potions, and I did get the occasional P on a test or essay. I'd say I was an average student."

"Still hell of a lot better than me." Fred pointed out with a smirk. I tried not to smile, but failed. He had a point.

"Well, I couldn't exactly go back for my seventh year, Fred. I would've been…about six months pregnant at the start of the school year. I didn't really want to walk around with a giant baby bump for people to see, especially with…certain people." I finished lamely, realizing I'd almost spilled one of my most important secrets to someone I hardly knew. There was a quiet moment before Fred spoke again.

"People like…the father?" I kept quiet with my back to Fred, looking down at my son and trying to ignore the sprinkling of blonde hair Adam was starting to grow. "Out of curiosity, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but, uh…where is the dad in this picture?"

I swallowed thickly, looking ahead at the wall. "He's not in the picture. And he never will be if I have any say in it."

"You mean he doesn't even know he's got a son?" Fred asked incredulously. "He's got a right to know, Annie."

"Look, I don't know you very well, and I really don't want to fight with you," I started as I turned to face Fred, "but you know absolutely nothing about this situation. So I would really appreciate it if you didn't attack me on my decisions. I think I know the father of my son better than you do, if even a little, and I know I don't want that kind of person around my son."

Fred blinked before nodding, a small look of understanding briefly crossing his features. "You're right, sorry. It's not my place to say anything."

I nodded and took a seat next to him, still bouncing Adam, who was still squirming and whimpering.

"Um," Fred turned toward me hesitantly, "do you, uh, want me to try?" he asked, nodding toward Adam. I eyed him doubtfully, instinctively clutching my son a little tighter. "I'm just offering, cause you look tired and frustrated. I mean, I'm no Molly Weasley or anything, but I remember a few things from when my sister Ginny was a baby. It's completely up to you." he held his hands up innocently.

I debated for a while before I finally sighed, nodding as I gently handed my son over to Fred. He held him the same way I did, with Adam looking over Fred's shoulder. Then Fred stood up and started pacing around the room. At first Adam didn't appear to like being held by some stranger, and I was about to change my mind about Fred holding him, but then I noticed Fred rhythmically patting Adam's back. After several moments of this, there was a very quiet burp, and Adam spit up some white slime onto Fred's shoulder.

Fred didn't even have to look before his face screwed up in mild disgust, while I was trying not to laugh.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I didn't think of that! Of course he probably needed to be burped. I'm sorry, Fred." I spoke through my giggles as I stood up to take Adam back. Fred grinned as he handed the baby back to me. With one swoop of his wand the mess was cleaned off him.

"No problem. I should've remembered to put a towel or something on my shoulder. I have a question though, how did you not think of burping him?"

I stopped laughing as I thought of this. "Well, I haven't really had to do this alone before, and with everything that's happened, I guess I'm a little tired."

Fred nodded as I gently laid a now-sleeping Adam in his cradle. "So, your parents were…"

I nodded as I sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at the sleeping baby. "Yeah. Some Death Eater broke into our house last night, somewhere after midnight. They killed my parents, cause my mum's a Muggleborn, and my dad's a bloodtraitor. I just had enough time to run up to Adam's room, grab him with my wand in my pocket, and Apparate us out of the house." I laughed bitterly, tears brimming in my eyes, "Funny thing is, my parents didn't want Adam originally. When I first told them I was pregnant, they threw me out. They didn't want a pregnant daughter living under their roof. But then everything with _Him_ being back, and Death Eaters taking over the Ministry and Hogwarts, they'd rather me be safe with them than alone. So they took me back in. I mean, they constantly pressured me on who the father was, but I could tell they loved Adam. They loved being grandparents, and they were always there to help me when I needed it."

The bed dipped as Fred sat next to me, and he put an arm around my shoulder as I cried.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Annie. I really am." he whispered, holding me close to his side. "But you're not alone in this, I promise. Okay? We'll help you though this."

I turned and looked up at him, reading the honesty in his eyes. I smiled with tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"Thank you, Fred."


	2. Chapter 2

**(Four years later; 2002)**

"Adam, stop pulling. I don't want to lose you." I ordered sternly as my four year old son yanked on my hand as we weaved through the crowd in Diagon Alley.

"But we have to hurry, Momma! Uncle George promised to show me one of their new jokes!" Adam argued, continuing to tug on my hand.

"Adam John! If you don't stop pulling on me this instant we'll go strait home!" I snapped sharply, and just like that, he walked obediently by my side. Worst comes to worst, threaten to cancel any plans with the Weasley twins.

Diagon Alley had come a long way since the end of the war nearly four years ago. Everyone had pulled together to get all the shops up and running again within a few years. And now the shops and streets were as crowded as when I used to come here for school supplies as a child.

"And remember, you better behave yourself and do what George tells you to do." I reminded him. Normally George and Fred were good about keeping Adam away from any possibly harmful products, but the protective mother in me still worried on occasion.

The Weasley's had become a family to both me and Adam. They took me in and helped me get on my feet, and now me and Adam lived in our own small apartment and I dropped Adam off either at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes or the Burrow to be babysat when I went to work four to six days out of the week. Fred and I also started dating a little under a year ago, after, as George puts it, dancing around each other for about two years.

However, no one got out of the war unscathed, physically or emotionally. Everyone lost someone they cared about. Percy Weasley, after only hours of reconciling with his family, died saving Fred's life. They had been fighting side-by-side when the wall behind them exploded. Percy hadn't had time to completely knock Fred out of the way, and instead shielded Fred with his own body, getting himself killed by taking the blow. Fred damaged his arm and got a concussion that took almost a month to heal, but guilt and grief ate away at him for months afterward.

Charlie Weasley nearly met the same fate, nearly getting his arm severed off by a _Sectumsempra_ curse, but Madame Pomfrey was able to save it. However, this ended Charlie's career at the dragon reserve in Romania. But last year he became Hagrid's assistant at Hogwarts, both in teaching Care of Magical Creatures and as groundskeeper and caretaker of the animals. He loved this job about as much as his job with the dragons, and Molly loved having him closer to home.

"Momma, what time do you have to work?" Adam asked, looking up at me.

"Well, I've got to be there in about an hour, so-"

My shoulder crashed into something, lurching my body sideways a bit. My head snapped to the side to face whomever I'd crashed into, about to apologize.

"Watch where you're going!" someone snapped, the voice making my blood freeze. My eyes snapped up to meet familiar, cold, gray eyes. They were surrounded by a pale face with platinum blonde hair that was neatly combed back.

His eyes widened a bit as he looked over my face, recognition flashing across his face.

"Momma, we gotta go!" Adam tugged on my hand, snapping me back to the present. I hurriedly looked away from the man before me and went to follow my son. However, a hand grabbed my arm, stopping me and making me freeze.

I slowly turned and looked up at him, watching nervously as he looked between me and Adam. I waited in tense silence for several moments before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Is that my son?"

I swallowed, unsure if I should lie or tell the truth. But my silence gave me away. He glared at me.

"Why didn't you tell me I had a son?" he demanded, his grip on my arm tightening.

I glared back at him. "You may have helped create him, but he's not your son. And there was no way in hell I was going to hunt you down and tell you about a son I didn't want you around."

Draco Malfoy glared down at me. "If he's my son I have a right to have him."

"Even if he's a son you helped create by lying, seducing, and using me?" I growled, yanking my arm from his grip. "I want nothing to do with you, and I don't want you near my child. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have somewhere to be."

I turned and moved to usher my son along when Draco's cold voice made me freeze again.

"I have connections, Annie. Connections in the Ministry, and money to easily pay off to the right hands. If it came down to you or me, do you really think anyone would give you full custody of our son?"

I gritted my teeth and looked back at him. He was staring me down with a serious expression.

"Why do you want anything to do with him? You were never in his life for the past four years, and he's had a perfectly happy life."

"But I didn't get any choice in that, now, did I?"

"You really think I would risk my son being hurt the way I was?" I demanded quietly, turning back to get in Draco's face, keeping a grip on Adam's hand behind my back.

"It's your decision, Annie. We either work out a shared custody agreement, or he can come live with me permanently." Draco reasoned smoothly, his voice and stature cool and professional.

I gritted my teeth to the point I thought they'd crack.

"Momma?"

I glanced down at Adam, who was watching me nervously, before I looked back up at Draco. "I'm not talking about this here, with my son present, and when I need to get going. I'll meet you for lunch sometime and we can talk this over like adults, okay?"

"Fine. Tomorrow, noon, at the Leak Cauldron sound good?" Draco suggested with a smirk.

I took a deep breath through my nose to try and stay calm. "Fine. I'll be there."

"Good." Draco smirked again before taking a step closer, looking down at me from only several inches from my face. "And just keep this in mind: if you try to run away or go into hiding with _my_ son…I have the resources to drag you both back and have him taken from you so fast, it'll make your head spin. Clear?"

I swallowed, hiding my fear by glaring at him with the most hatred I could muster. "Clear."

With that, I spun around and hurried Adam through the crowd, and I didn't slow down until the familiar, brightly-colored building of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes came into view. Seeing his favorite place in the world, Adam picked up his pace until he was dragging me the last few steps.

The door swung open and we entered the shop, looking around. There were about two dozen customers wandering about the shop, and straight ahead I saw a familiar redhead talking to a female customer and her young son.

"Fred!" Adam ran forward and Fred had just enough time to notice him and barely caught Adam when he threw himself at the jokester. Fred laughed loudly as he lifted Adam up to hold him.

"Hey Bud." Fred smiled at him before turning back to talk to the customers, the woman smiling a bit more fondly at how Fred interacted with Adam. However, Adam looked at the product the other boy was holding and interrupted, pointing at the joke product.

"I have one of those! They're awesome! You should get it!"

The other boy clutched it to his chest and looked hopefully up at his mother. "Can we, Mom? Please?" he begged. His mother smiled and nodded.

I approached my son and Fred as the woman lead her son to the register.

"Nice job helping with that sale, Adam!" Fred held up his hand for a high five, a huge grin on his face. Then, he looked over at me, his grin dropping just a tad as he looked at me. I was smiling, but I could tell I wasn't completely into it. And apparently, so could Fred.

"Hey." Fred grinned at me, and I smiled back.

"Hey." I leaned up on my toes, one hand on Fred's shoulder for balance so I could kiss his cheek.

"EW!" Adam covered his eyes with both hands, causing Fred and I to laugh, Fred ruffling Adam's unruly, sand-colored hair.

"Do I hear my favorite little helper?!" a familiar voice called through the store seconds before George rounded a corner with a huge grin on his face.

"Uncle George!" Adam shouted, lunging forward in Fred's arms with his hands stretched out for the other twin, nearly causing Fred to drop him. Us three adults laughed as Fred handed the boy over to his brother.

"You wanna help me out at the register for a bit, Adam? Verity's stocking shelves right now." George asked, holding Adam on his hip.

"Yeah!" Adam yelled enthusiastically, throwing his hands in the air.

We laughed again as George nodded to me before taking my son up towards the front of the shop. My eyes followed the two, watching with a small smile as my son interacted with one of his Uncle figures. Small moments like those, just regular, everyday, happy moments for my son, those are what I live for.

I felt a larger hand take mine and start pulling me in a specific direction. I followed Fred easily, knowing he wanted to talk to me in private about what was on my mind.

"Hey, Georgie! We're going to double-check the inventory in the back!" Fred called to his brother, who nodded, before Fred lead me into the back room. It had a desk, a filing cabinet, a work table, lots of boxes stacked up along the walls, and a back door that lead to the staircase to the twins' flat above the store.

Fred shut the door behind us, turned on the lights, and turned me to face him, looking down at me and scanning my face.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

I sighed, looking down at my feet. "You really don't want to know. It's going to make you mad."

"Well, it's clearly upsetting you, so I'd really like to hear it, if you want to talk." Fred suggested pointedly.

I nodded, knowing he was right.

"Okay. Um, Adam and I ran into an old classmate on the way here, and the interaction wasn't…friendly."

Fred's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Who?"

I swallowed, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "Draco Malfoy."

Fred's eyes widened and his whole body went tense. He turned away from me and stood there, staring at the far wall blankly for a while.

I had always sworn I wouldn't tell anyone what had happened my sixth year at Hogwarts, or who Adam's father was. My own parents had never known, I'd refused to tell them, which was partly why they'd thrown me out. But the Weasley's not only took me in, they became family. I got close to nearly all of them, especially the twins and Ginny. And through that, they all got close to Adam. It was hard to tell who took care of Adam more; me, Molly, Ginny, Fred, George…they all helped me out in so many ways, including raising Adam. And through that, they'd earned my trust.

Then one night, about a month or so after the final battle had been won, Fred and I had been hanging out in the living room of the Burrow with some warm Butterbeers. He started venting about his guilt over Percy's death, and eventually I started talking about Adam's father. From there, George overheard us, and I eventually told Molly, Ginny, and Arthur, who told the others. They all finally understood why I wanted to keep Adam from his father, and they completely stopped bringing the subject up and hinting that I should look for the man who got me pregnant.

It all started a few months before the end of my sixth year, when Draco had started "pursuing" me. He was flirty in a way that made me uncomfortable, but at the same time he knew just the right things to say to make me feel warm and girly. Then one night, he got me a drink and I let my guard down. I later realized it had been a fire whiskey, and he just kept giving me bottles of fire whiskey, to the point I knew what was happening, but I had no conscious idea of how to stop it from happening.

He had sex with me. I guess it was technically rape, because I certainly didn't want it, but I couldn't stop him. I could see it happening, and feel the pain. Nothing about it felt good, and I felt disgusting afterwards.

He didn't even look in my direction once after it happened. And then, a couple weeks before school was out, I started getting sick. I went to Madame Pomfrey, she did some tests, and told me I was pregnant.

There was no way I was going to allow word to get out that I was carrying a Malfoy. I had no idea what Draco would do. I'd always figured he'd want nothing to do with the baby, since my parents were a Muggleborn and a bloodtraitor, but I wasn't going to take that chance. But now, my worst nightmare had come to life.

"What did he say?" Fred asked quietly, still not turning to look at me.

My breathing got shaky. "He figured out that Adam's his son, and then he started going on about how he has a right to his son, and that if I didn't want to work out a custody agreement, he had connections and he could easily have Adam taken away from me, and-and-"

I was gasping for breath when strong arms wrapped around me, and I fell into Fred's chest, my chest heaving as I tried and failed to stop my sobs from escaping. Fred held me tightly, one hand repeatedly stroking the back of my head and he whispered soothingly into my ear.

"Shh, it's okay Annie. We won't let that happen, okay? We'll work something out, I promise." Fred kept whispering similar phrases over and over until I finally managed to calm down enough to breathe normally.

"Maybe I'm overreacting." I murmured, my head still resting on Fred's chest, my arms around his waist. "I mean, just because he hurt me doesn't mean he'd hurt Adam. Maybe…Maybe he's changed, him and his family did change sides at the end of the war, after all."

"They ran like cowards when they realized their side was going to lose, is what they did." Fred growled, burying his face into the side of my head. "Just because they weren't charged and dumped in Azkaban, doesn't mean they're any more innocent than Voldemort's other followers."

"What should I do?" I asked quietly. "I have to meet him for lunch tomorrow to talk about it. And he's right, he could pull some strings and have my son taken from me completely, and I can't risk that. He's the only good thing that happened to me from that time period, I can't lose him!"

"Shh," Fred pulled back to look down at me, his hands soothingly rubbing my shoulders. He looked thoughtful as I took a couple deep breaths. "Maybe you should just go to lunch with him and talk it out, see what ideas you come up with. If you're not sure what you want to do, maybe ask him for some time to think about it, and when you come over we can discuss what would be the best option. Or I could come with you if you want?" Fred suggested gently, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I slowly shook my head. "No, I'm not sure that'd be a good idea. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have you sitting with me while I did this, but your guys' hatred for each other might make negotiating with Draco a bit difficult." I pointed out gently, to which Fred nodded in sheepish agreement, "Apart from that, I guess I'll just see how it goes, and if I really don't like any of his ideas, I'll ask for time to think about it. Okay?"

Fred nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, that's probably the best idea." he gave me a small peck on my lips before we turned and left the backroom.

We approached the register counter, where George was ringing up a customer while Adam was sitting on the counter and greeting people.

Once the customer had paid and left, George turned to look between us before his eyes fixed on me.

"So," he began quietly, glancing at Adam, who was preoccupied talking to a young couple, "Adam tells me you ran into 'a mean man who hurt his momma' on the way here. Wanna explain what that's about?"

I sighed, glancing at Adam to make sure he wasn't listening. "Long story short, I ran into Draco, he figured out Adam's his son, and now we're meeting for lunch tomorrow to discuss some kind of custody agreement because he threatened to take Adam away from me if I didn't cooperate."

George's eyes were wide by the time I quit talking. When I finished he swore under his breath, glancing worriedly at Adam before looking back at me.

"You got a plan to deal with this?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged. "I'm just going to see what he's got to say and figure out the best situation for Adam."

George sighed, nodding sullenly.

"Anyway, I've really got to get to work. Thanks again for taking Adam for the afternoon." I turned to Fred with a smile.

Fred scoffed, pulling me close with an arm around my waist. "Are you kidding? You're both family. You really need to stop saying thank you. It's been like this since he was a baby."

"I know, but still." Fred kissed my cheek, making me smile. "I'll see you guys later." I kissed Fred on the lips before kissing the top of Adam's hair. "Bye Adam. Behave okay?"

"'Kay Momma. Bye!" Adam waved as I left the shop, heading to Sugarplums' Sweets Shop.

After many of the shops in Diagon Alley were reopened I went around trying to find a job that I could get without having to take my NEWTs, since I never went back to finish my seventh year at Hogwarts. It was pretty easy to find shops that would be willing to hire me, but I also needed a job I could be good at. I ended up working two part-time jobs at Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop, and Sugarplum's Sweets Shop, since neither wanted to hire full time. This was partly because, with all the unemployed witches and wizards, they wanted to try and offer as many opportunities as they could. However, I got more hours at Flourish and Blotts in the month before the school year starts up, since they get super busy with the Hogwarts students needing to buy their school books.

Hermione, who I talked to a lot since we both lived with the Weasley's for a while after the war, tried to talk me into going back to take my NEWTs so I could get better job opportunities. But I make pretty good money with my jobs. Sure, I'm not rich, but I have enough to afford my apartment, any necessities, and treats once in a while. And I loved both of my jobs.

The next day I dropped Adam off at the Burrow before going to lunch with Draco. It's a Saturday, and that tends to be the busiest day at the twins' shop, and I didn't want Adam to be around some of the products unsupervised. Plus, he loves visiting Molly at the Burrow, and she loves having him around. It gives her something to do and he keeps her company, since she's home alone a lot of the time, with Arthur working. Though sometimes Fleur drops her and Bill's two year old daughter Victoire off as well since she works part time.

When I arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, I looked around until I spotted the familiar, silver-blonde hair and crisp dress robes. I took in a deep breath before I approached, taking the seat across from Draco.

He looked me up and down before giving me a cool look in the eye. "You're late."

I glared at him. "By two minutes, Draco. I had to drop _my_ son off at a sitter's before coming here."

"You could've just brought him along." he retorted. "I would like to officially meet my son, who you kept away from me." he pointed out sharply, his cold, gray eyes glaring into me.

"If you knew anything about parenthood, you'd know how protective mothers can be over their children. I'm not letting Adam near you until you give me one hell of a good reason to trust you with the most important person in my life."

"Keep in mind you wouldn't even have him if it weren't for me."

"And that's supposed to make what you did to me any better?" I asked incredulously. "You have no idea the hell I went through because of you. When I found out I was pregnant, I was devastated, because I thought the baby would be nothing more than a constant reminder of what you did. But miraculously, Adam turned out to be the _only_ good thing in my life back then. And I'd sooner die than let you hurt him like you did me."

"What are you expecting me to do to him? It's not like I'd do to him what I did to you." Draco snapped sharply, before he sighed quietly. "Look, Annie, I'm not the same person I was sixth year. I was going through a rough time that year, and I took it out on you. But I've changed, the war changed me. I'm dating Astoria Greengrass, we both work in the same department in the Ministry. I don't have the same views I once did, and I would never harm my son."

I looked him over, gauging his sincerity. "See, you've always been a bit of a smooth talker, Draco. So, forgive me if I have doubts on your honesty and sincerity. I've still got the emotional scars from what you did to me, which has been causing a bit of a strain on my current relationships."

It was true. Despite the fact that I cared about Fred, and I knew he loved me, I was still scared. I was afraid to be intimate with him, and he knew my fears and understood them. He never pushed me for more than I was ready for, and because of this, even though we'd been dating for nearly a year we hadn't gone any further than a mild make out session. I was scared that it would hurt, like it did the first and only time I'd done it, and the insecure part of me was worried Fred wouldn't want anything to do with me afterwards, even though I knew that was ridiculous.

"Look, I truly am sorry for what I put you through." Draco spoke quietly, his head lowered and not meeting my eyes, "But I'm trying to make up for what I've done in the past. I would truly like a second chance, and a chance to get to know my son. Please."

I chewed on my lip. I really wasn't sure about this, and I wasn't sure if I could believe him or not. But at the same time, he could easily have Adam taken from me if I didn't cooperate. So I had to choose the lesser of the two evils, so to speak.

I sighed before I started speaking slowly, "How about this? We meet up for dinner sometime in the near future, and I bring Adam along so you two can meet and get to know each other. After that, when I take him home I'll ask him his opinion of you and what he would like to do considering your custody of him."

Draco looked up and met my eyes, "What if he says he doesn't want to live with me?"

"I don't know, what then?" I asked challengingly, daring him to make any kind of threat towards my son.

"I want some form of custody of him, Annie. Besides, he's just a child. He doesn't really know what he does or does not want, seeing as how one dinner meeting couldn't possibly give him a good enough impression of me to make that kind of decision. Besides, I have a feeling you don't exactly speak kindly of me around him."

"I don't speak of you at all around him." I argued sharply. "He's no idea who you are to him. The only impression he's had on you so far is that you're 'the mean man who hurt his momma' due to our interaction yesterday." I explained, remembering what he'd apparently told George.

Draco grimaced before clearing his expression and speaking again, "That interaction aside, he's old enough that he'll eventually have some questions about where I've been his whole life, if he hasn't already."

"Actually, he hasn't asked any questions of the kind. He knows what a father is, mind you, but he has enough male role models in his life that he'd never had a need for one."

"Oh? Like who?"

I bit my lip, wondering how to answer him. He definitely wouldn't like the fact that his son was practically raised by the Weasleys, given their bad family history.

"Some family friends that took me in after your _friends_ the Death Eaters killed my parents. Adam and I barely escaped."

Draco winced again before going back into a business-like posture. "Which brings me back to our earlier topic. What are we going to say to him to explain my absence from his life for the past four years?"

"What do you mean 'we'? Why should I help you come up with a cover story just to save your face to our son?" I asked, crossing my arms defiantly.

His cold, gray eyes glinted. "Because the story I can come up with is that you kept his dad away from him because you were too selfish to share him. What would he think of that?"

I gritted my teeth. This was exactly what I was afraid of him doing. Twisting things around to make me out to be the bad guy. I swallowed before trying to come up with a cover story.

"How about…you left to help out with the war…" the words left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was true, but he was helping the other side, "and I got pregnant, but had no way of contacting you and couldn't find you after the war was over, and you never knew you had a son."

Draco nodded. "Alright. So where does this leave us?"

I sighed, thinking over what day would work for having a dinner. I couldn't do it tomorrow, Sunday, because we were having dinner at the Burrow with all the Weasleys. I worked on Monday evening, so that wouldn't work, but I worked during the day on Tuesday, so I'd have the evening off.

"How about dinner on Tuesday?" I asked.

So, we agreed to meet for dinner at five o'clock on Tuesday, and I was dreading it.


	3. Chapter 3

"Adam, can you come here, sweetie?" I called down the hall of our small apartment from the living room. I heard him call back an 'okay' from his bedroom down the small hallway next to the bathroom. So, I sat on the couch and waited anxiously, going over everything I wanted to say. When Adam joined me he hopped up onto the couch and looked up at me, his big, green eyes so wide and innocent.

"What is it, Momma?" he asked curiously.

I swallowed before forcing a smile onto my face. "Well, um, do you remember the other day when we were going to the joke shop, and I ran into someone I knew?"

Adam tilted his head, looking confused. "You mean the angry man who grabbed your arm?" he asked, glancing down at the arm Draco had grabbed, as if expecting a giant bruise to appear on my skin.

I bit my lip, this was exactly what I was worried about.

"Um, yes, that man. But he didn't hurt me, sweetie," _that_ day, "he was just trying to get my attention. We knew each other in school."

Adam scrunched up his face. "Okay." he answered dubiously.

I sighed. "Anyway, the thing is…Well, you know what a…a 'father' is, right?" I asked hesitantly.

Adam straightened at the sudden change in topic. "Is that the same thing as a dad?" I nodded and he continued, "Yeah, I know what those are. Uncle Bill is Victoire's dad, and Pop is Fred and Uncle George's dad. And Uncle Harry told me that Teddy's dad, Remus, was a war hero." 'Pop' was what he called Arthur, and he called Molly 'Nana'.

I smiled slightly at how Adam's face lit up talking about all the people he thought of when he heard the word 'dad'. Oh, how I hoped Draco wouldn't taint that image for him.

"Well, h-have you ever wondered about your own dad?" I asked carefully.

Adam looked confused as he thought this over. Finally, he slowly shook his head. "No. I have a dad?" he asked, his voice so full of childish wonder.

I swallowed before nodding slowly, unable to force a smile on my face.

"Where is he? How come I never met him?" Adam asked, looking upset.

I licked my lips before speaking, "Well, he needed to leave to help out with the war, and I never got to tell him about you, and I couldn't track him down afterwards." I explained, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"What's his name? Can we go find him?" Adam asked excitedly, getting on his knees next to me and bracing his hands on my leg.

I took in a deep breath, terrified of how he was going to take the news. As calmly as I could, I answered, "Well, that man from Diagon Alley the other day? Who grabbed my arm? That was Draco Malfoy, a boy I went to school with…He's your father."

Adam's face went blank for several moments, and the silence ate away at me.

Finally, after several moments of tense silence, Adam spoke, "But…he was mean to you. Why is he my father?" Adam asked in confusion, looking lost.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. How was I supposed to answer that? Telling your child about where babies really come from is an awkward conversation all on its own, and certainly one you have when they're older than four! Children are supposed to be created through an act of love. What kind of explanation could I possibly give to my four year old son about how and why he came to be?

"Momma?" Adam brought me out of my thoughts. "Everyone else's moms and dads love each other. They're families. But…that man was mean to you. He didn't talk to you the way Pop talks to Nana. He hurt you! I don't like him!" Adam shouted indignantly, crossing his arms angrily. I smiled sadly, feeling my eyes water up. 'If only you knew how he hurt me,' I thought to myself.

"Adam, I told you. He didn't hurt me when he grabbed me. It's like me grabbing your hand when we walk to the twins' shop so I don't loose you. And he looked angry because he thought I'd kept you a secret from him deliberately. He was upset he didn't get to watch you grow up. He really wants to meet you and get to know you, Adam." I explained gently, wrapping an arm around my son and pulling him closer to me. "He'd really like it if you could give him a chance."

Adam eyed me doubtfully for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Okay."

OoOoOoO

We entered the small diner at just a few minutes before five o'clock. Wouldn't want Draco making a big stink about us being late like last time. I scanned the room until I found the familiar head of silvery hair. Sucking in a deep breath, I took Adam's hand in mine and lead him over.

"Remember. Behave okay?" I nearly pleaded with my son. He simply nodded up at me as we came into Draco's view.

He spared me a glance before looking Adam over with a small smile. He stood up and gestured to the booth across from him, and I allowed Adam to slide in before I sat next to him.

"Hello Adam. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm your father." Draco explained.

Adam glanced up at me and I gave him a reassuring smile. He turned back to Draco and gave him a small, unsure smile.

"Hi." he answered simply. I was mildly surprised he wasn't saying more. He's normally so talkative.

The waitress came and took our order before Draco asked the usual question.

Leaning forward on his elbows, he asked, "So, Adam, tell me about yourself."

Adam tilted his head. "Like what?"

"Like, what do you like to do? Tell me about your friends, and school." Draco emphasized.

"Well…I like watching Quidditch with my Uncles, and playing with my flying cars, oh and I love it when Uncle Charlie tells us stories about dragons!" he bounced once in his seat and looked excitedly up at me. Even though Charlie didn't work with dragons anymore, he still had plenty of stories saved up, "oh, and I like pulling pranks on people, but Momma says there are some people I shouldn't prank." he finished seriously, as if mimicking the tone I'd used when telling him that.

Draco smiled strangely before looking at me. "I…thought you said your family didn't survive the war." he stated quietly.

I opened my mouth to explain when Adam swept on.

"They're not my real Uncles. That'd be weird 'cause Momma's 'dating' Fred, which Uncle George said means they kiss a lot." Adam explained with a disgusted expression, "But Momma said Nana and Pop took us in when I was a baby, because my real grandma and grandpa died in the war. And they became our family. So did my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry. Harry Potter's my Uncle, did you know that? Not my real Uncle, he's not related to my other uncles, but Uncle George always teases that him and Aunt Ginny are gonna get married someday and have lots of babies."

I watched Draco's expression go from content to thoughtful to angry, even though he was trying to hide it. He looked back over at me, his sharp gray eyes like cold steel.

"Fred, George, Ron, Hermione,…Harry…" he listed off quietly, his gaze burning into me. "You didn't mention the family that took you in was the Weasleys."

I met his gaze firmly, refusing to show the fear that was churning in my gut. "Would you have preferred they turned me and my son away to die all those years ago?" I questioned quietly, not wanting Adam to hear this conversation.

"You could've mentioned it before. It sounds like they've already been a bad influence on him."

"Why, just because he enjoys doing a prank now and then?" I asked quietly.

"Look, I already told you I've changed, but that doesn't mean I want _them_ raising my son." Draco hissed.

I leaned forward so I could talk while Adam became interested in the silverware. "I brought my son here so you could have your wish to meet him and get to know him. The Weasleys are more his family than you are. If you want to discuss this, we will do so without Adam here to witness. And just so you know, if you want to actually try and take him away from them…he will put up more of a fight than I will, and that's saying something."

The rest of dinner went as well as it could, Draco encouraging most of the conversation by asking Adam questions. I rarely said anything. After about an hour I took Adam home and sat him down on the couch.

"So, what did you think? Do you like him?" I asked carefully.

Adam looked thoughtful, a slight grimace on his face. "I don't know. He seemed…weird."

"Weird how?" I asked curiously.

"Like he wasn't…telling the truth?" he tilted his head, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"You felt like…he wasn't being honest?" I asked, trying to understand.

Adam thought before nodding. "Yeah. And I don't think he likes the Weasleys. I don't like that." he stated firmly.


	4. Chapter 4

**(1 year later; 2003)**

I laughed as Fred spun me under his arm before drawing me back to him, holding me tight around the waist as we continued to dance to the music playing at a small restaurant nearby. My flat-covered feet were shifting in the sand as we swayed and the light rain made our clothes stick to us.

We had been eating fish and chips at a small place near the beach when it started raining and an upbeat song started playing. Next thing I knew, Fred was dragging me out into the rain to dance.

I smiled up at him as we danced to a slow song, just swaying in place with my arms around his neck and his around my waist. Rain drops were running down our faces and dripping from our chins and noses. He leaned down and pressed a slow, sweet kiss to my lips, the cool water making them slip together easily.

It was Wednesday evening, which is a strange day for a date, but we needed to work our nights around which nights I had Adam. I didn't like sending him to a sitter any more often than necessary when he was with me. I know Draco already does that enough, and I know Adam doesn't like being left in the huge Malfoy Manor with only the house elves for company.

So, Fred and I did more relationship stuff when Adam was at Draco's, which was every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, unless something doesn't work out. Then I pick Adam up every Wednesday evening at seven, and I have him for Thursday through Sunday, and Draco picks him up Sunday evening. During the days I have him, we still visit Fred and the other Weasleys, and instead of having date nights, me and Fred spend time with Adam, as a sort of family.

After dancing in the rain for a while longer, Fred and I head back inside, using a drying spell to dry ourselves. Then, seeing it was getting later, we apparated together to Malfoy Manor to pick up Adam.

We walked together, hand in hand, up the path, the gate opening to let us in as we approached the large path up to the enormous, dark mansion. I subconsciously tightened my grip on Fred's hand, scooting a bit closer to him. Since I spent so much time with the Weasleys, I also had become fairly good friends with Hermione Granger, who had recently become engaged to Fred's younger brother Ron.

When Hermione first found out that Adam lived at Malfoy Manor while staying with Draco, which had been about a month after the arrangement had been made, she'd had a bit of a panic attack, zoning out, trembling, and even screaming a bit. Ron had been able to calm her down and she explained what had happened to her in Malfoy Manor during the war, with Bellatrix Lestrange and the Malfoys and Death Eaters. Since then the place had scared me even more than before.

I was brought out of my nervous thoughts by the large front door slamming open, making me jump and Fred tense beside me.

To my shock, Adam came racing down the path toward us. Since it was dark I couldn't see his face until he was several feet from us. Tears were running down his red cheeks, glinting in the moonlight, and the sobs erupting from his throat tore into my heart as he hurtled toward me. Fred released my hand just as my son flew into my arms. I ducked just enough to catch him in my arms, lifting him to clutch him tightly to my chest, my body trembling as my son cried into my shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around my neck and his legs wrapped around my waist.

My wide eyes met Fred's, which were just as wide.

"Adam, sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, putting one hand on the back of his head so I could lean back to see his face.

"Momma!" he cried, refusing to release his arms from my neck. That just scared me even more.

"Adam, please look at me. Tell me what's wrong." I pleaded, feeling confused tears prick my eyes.

"ADAM!" an angry voice erupted from Malfoy Manor. Fred whipped around and stood in front of me, his wand out and pointed at Draco, who was storming towards us.

My hand twitched against the back of my son's head, instinctively wanting to reach for my own wand in the large pocket of the dress I was wearing. But feeling my son start trembling, I knew I needed to keep my hand where it was.

"Stop where you are, _Malfoy_." Fred warned, practically spitting Draco's surname.

"Don't tell me what to do, _Weasel_." Draco spat back, "He's my son, not yours."

"Then why'd he come running out here like this, huh?" Fred practically shouted.

"Quiet!" I snapped at both of them. I shifted so that I knew Adam was shielded from Draco's view by Fred's broad shoulders before I pulled my son back to look at his face. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and for the first time I noticed a trickle of red liquid coming from his hairline.

My blood went cold as I used one hand to brush his hair back from his face. And there, nearly hidden by his hair, was a small cut surrounded by purple, swollen, bruised skin.

My lip trembled. "Adam, what happened?" I whispered, looking down into his glistening, green eyes.

Adam whimpered and glanced nervously toward Fred's back, which was the only thing between him and his father.

"Adam, you're safe. I promise. Please, tell me what happened." I pleaded quietly.

"I-I didn't mean to, Momma. I really didn't." he shook his head, tears pooling in his eyes again.

"What, Adam?" I urged quietly.

"This is ridiculous. He's fine. He fell over." Draco cut in.

"I want to hear it from my son, Draco." I snapped, glaring over Fred's shoulder, who still had Draco at wand-point. I turned back to Adam and quietly urged him to continue.

"I-I was playing with the flying car Uncle George got me. I was chasing it around the sitting room. I hit my head on the end table by the couch. It really hurt, Momma." he whimpered, rubbing the top of his head with his hand, tears spilling down his cheeks again.

"I know, sweetie." I whispered, pressing a kiss near where the cut was before I pulled back to look at him. "Then what happened?"

"Father came into the room. He was very angry. He started yelling at me. I was scared. I wanted to run away, but he grabbed my arm really hard. It really hurt, and I told him to stop, but he wouldn't. He kept yelling at me and pulling me around. Then I heard the loud crack. The one you make when you come to get me. Father got distracted by it, so I got away and ran out here. Don't let him hurt me again, Momma! Please!" Adam pleaded with me, fear shining in his eyes. I fearfully took hold of one of his arms, and my fear was proven. There, on my five year old son's arm, was a dark, hand-shaped bruise.

My face steeled in a cold glare as I turned to Draco, who was staring defiantly back, switching between glaring at me and Fred, who I could imagine looked murderous.

"When he bumped into the table, he knocked over one of Astoria's vases. It's been in her family for a century, and now it's shattered to pieces. I was trying to make him understand that." Draco explained. He had proposed to Astoria a few months back and they were planning to marry by the end of the year.

"He's a child." I answered in anger and disgust, "You injured my son over a stupid vase? You-you-" I cut myself off, knowing I shouldn't use the language I wanted around Adam. Instead, I clutched my son closer to me. "You stay away from my son. I'm never letting you near him again."

"Good luck with that, Annie. You really think you'd be able to win a custody dispute against me? Think again."

"Watch me." I growled back.

"Get Adam's bag out here, Malfoy. We'll be leaving as soon as we have his things." Fred ordered angrily, his wand still pointed at Draco's face.

Draco glared between us before finally calling one of the house elves to get Adam's bag. While Adam had his own room and things at Malfoy Manor, he didn't like them too much.

As soon as we had Adam's bag, which Fred swung over his shoulder, we walked back down the path, Fred keeping an eye on Draco until we were past the front gates. Then, he took hold of my hand and apparated us to the back door of the joke shop.

He lead me up the stairs and motioned me into the flat ahead of him. I entered, looking down at Adam who had his head rested on my shoulder, his arms tucked between our chests, while I supported him with my hands linked under his bottom.

The three of us looked up when George turned the corner, wearing a rumpled button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked at us and smiled before noticing our expressions, then his grin fell and he looked concerned.

"What happened?" he asked wearily.

I sighed. "Fred can fill you in. I need to take care of Adam." Thinking of something last second, I turned to Fred. "Can I use your camera?"

Fred looked confused, but nodded. He held up his wand and said, "Accio camera." the old camera zoomed into his hand and he handed it to me.

"Thanks." I muttered, carrying my son and the camera into the twins' bathroom. I sat Adam down on the edge of the sink. I took a few quick pictures of the cut on his head and the bruise on his arm.

Then, setting the camera and moving pictures aside, I took out my wand, pointed it at Adam's head, and muttered, "Tergeo." the blood was sucked from his head and hair and into my wand. Then, I said, "Episkey." and watched as the cut and bruising on his forehead shrunk and disappeared before my eyes. Then I gently held Adam's arm up with my free hand and repeated the spell with my wand pointed at the bruise. The bruise also disappeared at the same moment George appeared in the doorway, looking worriedly down at Adam. Knowing what he was wondering, I silently handed him the pictures before turning my attention back to my son.

I placed my hands on his cheeks, brushing his hair back to check the injury and blood was gone, before kissing his forehead.

"There. All better." I whispered, smiling down at him.

Adam smiled back at me, reaching up and kissing my cheek.

"Thank you, Momma. I love you." Adam said quietly, stretching up to hug me around the neck. My eyes watered as I hugged him back.

George cleared his throat quietly, making us pull away to look up at him. He smiled reassuringly at me before looking over at Adam.

"Hey Bud, Fred's getting some ice cream and hot chocolate in the kitchen for everyone. Sound good?"

Adam's face lit up in a huge grin. "Yeah!" he turned to me, pulling a sweet, happy smile, "Can I Momma? _Please_?" he pleaded, his eyes going big and adorable. I sighed. Normally he wouldn't get a desert so close to his bedtime, especially ice cream _and_ hot chocolate, but after what happened tonight…

"Sure, but this isn't happening all the time." I pointed out before helping Adam jump down. He scurried out of the bathroom, leaving me and George alone.

"So, Fred told me what happened." George spoke quietly, looking down at me with the most serious expression I'd ever seen on his face. George had been the most outspoken when it came to his opinion of Draco being allowed anywhere near Adam, barely beating Fred with his voiced protests. Like all the Weasleys, George saw Adam as one of the family, and he didn't take kindly to Adam being hurt.

"I kinda figured he did." I answered, picking up the pictures he'd placed back on the counter.

"You thought of a plan?" George questioned gently, leaning his shoulder against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead with my fingers. "I don't have the slightest idea what I'm going to do." I admitted, looking helplessly up at him.

"Well, Fred and I talked a little bit out there. What if we talked to Dad and Hermione? If anyone would be able to help, surely they'd be able to, or they'd at least know someone who can help."

After going back for her seventh year, Hermione got a job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. So, if anyone could help us, I suppose it would be her. And she'd want to help us more than anyone else in the Ministry, given how close we'd gotten, and the fact that she cared about Adam like he was her own nephew. She wouldn't be swayed by Draco's wealth and status like some other Ministry workers.

I nodded after a moment of thinking it over. "Yeah. Maybe tomorrow or something we can talk to them."

George nodded before Adam's voice called from the living room. "Momma! Uncle George! Come on!"

We chuckled before exiting the bathroom, me quickly leaving the pictures in Fred's bedroom so we wouldn't loose them, since they were the only evidence we had of what happened.

Then, the four of us gathered in the living room with a tray of mugs of hot chocolate and bowls of ice cream. It wasn't long before Adam was literally bouncing in his seat from all the sugar, and he was making me tired just watching him as I sat next to Fred on the couch, my head rested on his shoulder.

"Alright, I'm going to head down to the shop to do a quick inventory before bed." George announced, standing up from his armchair. He and Fred looked at each other for several moments, seemingly having a silent conversation, before George nodded slightly and turned to Adam. "You wanna come keep the Pygmy Puffs entertained for me, Adam?"

Adam jumped to his feet with a huge grin. "Can I Momma?" he asked excitedly, racing up to me and placing his hands on my knees, bouncing in place.

I laughed at his eagerness. "Of course, but _behave for George_!" I shouted the last bit because Adam raced right out the door as soon as the first two words left my mouth. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Don't worry Annie. I'll keep an eye on him. Promise." George held his hand up as he left, throwing me a wink over his shoulder.

I sighed again, slumping against Fred on the couch, whose arm was behind me across the back of the couch, the day having worn me out.

"You and Adam are staying here tonight." Fred spoke suddenly. I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "Don't argue. George and I discussed it while you were tending to Adam. We'd both feel better if the two of you were here with us, and I know both you and Adam feel the same way. I hated seeing Adam so scared as much as you did. George offered up his room for Adam to sleep in, and he'll take the couch. Then, in the morning, while George opens the shop, you and I will go to the Burrow to see if we can talk to Dad or Granger. If you want, Adam can stay here with George, or he can come with, it's up to you."

I smiled sadly. "Thank you, Fred."

Adam and I had spent the night a couple times in the flat with the twins. Each time Adam took George's room, and I slept with Fred, while George took the couch. And despite George's teasing, ALL WE DID WAS SLEEP. I know I love Fred, and he loves me, and we've come close a couple times, but we haven't gone all the way yet, mostly because I shut down every time. I have flashbacks or a mild panic attack. But Fred's literally the best guy I could ask for. He's never pushed me farther than I'm ready for, and he simply holds me until I calm down, shushing me when I try to apologize. Most guys would get frustrated after awhile, but Fred understands that what I went through scarred me.

"Annie." I looked up, realizing Fred had been trying to get my attention. "It'll be okay. We won't let Adam get hurt anymore, none of us will. Hell, when Mum finds out about this, she's going to blow a fuse! She'll hex Malfoy into oblivion!"

I laughed despite the topic, knowing how true the statement was. Messing with one of Molly Weasley's family is like messing with a bear cub. You won't survive long enough to realize you made a grave mistake.

"I suppose you're right. I'm just scared Draco will somehow get away with this, and take Adam away from me. I don't know what to do, Fred. I have to protect him. I can't let Draco hurt him, that was the one thing I wanted to protect my son from."

"I know, Annie. And he won't get away with it. I promise. If I have to go talk to the Minister of Magic himself, I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to protect Adam." Fred swore, a determined flame in his bright eyes. I smiled gratefully, leaning up to press my lips to his. His arm behind me slipped around my shoulder, pulling me closer while his other hand slipped behind my head, threading his fingers through my hair.

Before long things were getting a little heated, and I was laying on my back with Fred hovering over me, my hands in his hair and one of his on my waist with one hand supporting him by my head. His hand on my waist started sliding down to my thigh, pulling my leg up and wrapping it around his waist. I started lifting my other leg to join my first one, when we were rudely interrupted.

"And here I thought you needed alone time to talk. Silly me."

Fred lurched back and I scooted up as fast as I could, pressing my back into the arm of the couch. There, standing just inside the front door of the flat, was George, wearing a smug smirk and holding a sleeping Adam in his arms.

I crossed my arms subconsciously over my chest before I realized I was still wearing a dress, so I tried tugging the hem down past my knees to cover as much skin as I could. But I knew my actions were pointless. If I was anywhere near the state Fred was in, there was no point. His red hair was sticking up in all directions, his lips were swollen, his face was red, his shirt was wrinkled, and he was breathing heavily.

"Didn't you two get enough of that on your date?" George continued to tease, nudging the door closed as he stepped further into the room.

I groaned, letting my forehead drop to my knees to hide my face.

"Shut up, Forge." I could hear the smirk in Fred's voice as the cushions shifted. Then, I felt familiar fingers brushing my hair off my shoulders before he started tugging my arms away from my legs. "Come on, Love. Ignore my idiot twin, he just likes to make you blush, you know that."

I sighed, lifting my head slowly. George was still smirking at me, but I ignored him in favor of the sight of my son curled up into his chest. I stood up, making sure my dress covered everything, before approaching George and looking down at my son, who was sleeping peacefully with his head tucked into George's shoulder.

"He fell asleep playing with the Puffs. I've got a picture in my pocket if you want it. Gotta admit, one of the cutest things I've ever seen." George admitted with a smile. I smiled gratefully as Fred came and took Adam off his twin.

"You want me to change him into his PJs and put him to bed?" Fred ask quietly, cradling Adam gently.

I nodded. "Yeah. Oh, don't forget his blanket." I added, hurrying to his bag that was in the living room. I took out his pajamas and the knitted blanket with different Quidditch equipment stitched on it that Molly had made for him when he was still a baby. He still insisted on sleeping with it sometimes, which was one of the things that Draco and I argued about the most. Draco thought Adam was too old to be sleeping with a "blankie", but Adam has flat out stated that he sleeps with it because he doesn't want Molly to feel like he doesn't like it, when in fact he loves it more than anything else she's ever made him.

I handed both the blanket and PJs to Fred, who smiled and winked at me before carrying Adam to George's room.

When he closed the door I turned to George, who reached into the pocket on the chest part of his shirt and pulled out a moving photograph. He took one more look at it before handing it to me. A smile slid easily onto my face at the sight of my son, curled up asleep on his side, obviously on the floor of the shop's backroom, with pink and purple Pygmy Puffs surrounding him and on top of him, a few twitching here and there in their sleep.

"Thanks George. I really appreciate everything you've done, for me and Adam." I said quietly, smiling up at him. He smiled back.

"No problem. Just promise me you'll give me some more little nieces and nephews down the road." he teased, winking at me.

I swatted his arm, trying not to smile or blush at that statement. Fred chose that moment to come out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"You want to stay up a bit more, or do you want to get ready for bed? I can loan you something to wear." Fred suggested as he approached, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Well, I wanna hit the sack, so why don't you two lovebirds go to Freddie's room? And if you two are thinking of getting frisky, please remember to put up a silencing charm." George suggesting, giving us a suggestive smirk.

Fred smacked his brother's shoulder. "Leave my girl alone, Georgie."

"Why don't you pick on Fleur or Hermione as much as you do me?" I asked, a combination of curiosity and exasperation.

"'Cause Fleur takes things too seriously and always has a stick up her butt, and Granger threatens to tell our Mum. Besides, me picking on you so much is my way of showing favoritism among current and future sister-in-laws." George explained, throwing an arm around my shoulder and squeezing me to his side.

"Am I your favorite simply because I'm with your twin?" I questioned with a smirk.

"That, and I know you better than them, _and_ you're more fun, _and_ you gave birth to my favorite little helper." George added with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes but wrapped my arms around George's stomach in a hug. "Well, to be fair, you're my favorite probably-future-brother-in-law."

"Obviously. Who else would it be, Ickle Ronniekins?"

"Well, Charlie's pretty cool." I answered teasingly.

George shoved me away from him and into Fred. "Fred, return her. She's defective." Fred and I laughed at his antics.

"Goodnight, _Georgie_." I teased as Fred bid his twin goodnight and lead me towards his bedroom.

"Goodnight, _Annie_." he called back in the same tone.

Fred and I entered the room and shut the door, lending me one of his T-shirts and boxers to wear to bed. Once I was changed and Fred was down to just his boxers, we climbed into his bed. Fred wrapped his arm around my shoulder and back and pulled me close so I could rest my head on his chest.

We laid there quietly for a while before Fred broke the silence.

"So… 'probably-future-brother-in-law', huh?" I could hear in his voice that he was fighting a smirk, which made my cheeks heat up, the warm blush spreading down my neck.

"I-I didn't mean to assume anything, I just-that was really dumb. It was stupid of me to just say that, I-" Fred's finger pressed against my lips, effectively shutting me up before I could ramble for an hour straight.

"No no, you don't have to apologize or anything. In fact, the term is pretty accurate. I'm not gunna lie, I know I want to propose to you sometime down the road. I just want to make sure you're ready for that. It's a huge step, and a lot of pressure. I don't want you to feel like you have to be ready to go all the way or anything. I love you, and I know you love me, and I don't want us to have a marriage where you regret anything." he explained gently, moving his hand from my lips to hold my hand on top of his stomach.

"I'd never regret anything with you, Fred." I whispered, pressing a kiss to his bare chest, right above his heart.

"Good to know." he whispered back, kissing the top of my head, "Get some sleep, Love. We'll go to the Burrow tomorrow and figure everything out."

"Love you." I muttered, already drifting off.

"Love you, too."

We were only asleep for an hour at most before I felt something jabbing me in the back. I groaned, blinking my eyes open and turning to look over my shoulder.

"Momma?" I blinked my blurry vision away until my son came into focus, his red pajamas with the Hogwarts crest on the front, his sandy-blonde hair sticking up, and his blanket clutched to his chest.

"Adam? What's wrong?" I asked, rolling away from Fred and onto my back so I could look at my son.

"I had a bad dream." he whimpered, holding his blanket up to his face, "Father was angry at me, and he hurt Fred, and Uncle George, and you, because he doesn't like the Weasleys. He says so all the time. He calls them mean things. It was scary, Momma."

My heart clenched. "Oh, sweetie." I reached out and gave him a tight hug, kissing the side of his head. The bed shifted and Fred sat up next to me.

"Hey Buddy." he smiled at Adam as I pulled away from him. "You wanna sleep in here with us tonight? We'll make sure no one hurts you."

Adam nodded vigorously and climbed up onto the bed, over my lap, and snuggled down under the blanket between Fred and I. He turned and buried his face in my chest, and I wrapped my arms around him while Fred pulled the blanket up to our shoulders before settling himself back down.

"Night Momma. Night Fred." Adam mumbled sleepily. "I love you."

Fred and I both smiled, and I kissed the top of Adam's head as Fred answered, "Night Adam. We love you, too."

When Adam started dozing off I met Fred's eyes.

"Thank you." I whispered almost silently.

He smiled at me before carefully leaning closer to kiss me on the lips before pulling back. "I love you both, Annie. Sweet dreams."

"You too." I whispered, closing my eyes to sleep.

 **OoOoOoO**

 **Aw! I just love the ending! Only one more part, which is more like an epilogue I suppose. I didn't want to get into all the legal mumbo-jumbo so there'll just be a brief explanation of all that in the next part. Please review and let me know what you all think, I love hearing from you : )**


	5. Chapter 5

**(1 year later; 2004)**

"There we go. Perfect." Ginny stepped back with a smile, looking me over from where I was sitting in her bedroom in front of a large mirror they'd moved in.

I was wearing a simple, strapless, white dress that hugged my body until the waist, where it flared out and hung to just past my knees. My honey-gold hair, which I'd grown out to the middle of my back just for today, was in big, loose curls, my bangs braided back out of my face. My makeup was simple and natural, with some eyeliner to make my green eyes pop.

Ginny, as one of my bridesmaids, was wearing a simple, knee-length white dress with shoulder straps and a V-neck, a wide, light purple belt around her waist. Her vibrant, red hair was in waves with the front pinned away from her face.

"Thanks, Ginny." I smiled, glancing around the room at the others. Angelina was helping Hermione try to straighten her wild curls, both wearing the same dress as Ginny. I'd become fairly close to Angelina in the past couple years she and George had been dating. I also knew that George had plans to propose to her soon, he was just trying to think of a creative way to do so.

Near them, Fleur, wearing the same bridesmaid dress, was tying a purple ribbon in four year old Victoire's perfect, blonde hair. Victoire, being the flower girl, was wearing a similar dress to the others, only hers flared out more in the skirt.

Within the past year or so, Ron and Hermione got married, Harry and Ginny married several months after them, then in late 2003 Harry and Ginny had their son, James and Bill and Fleur had another daughter, Dominique. James and Dominique were currently being babysat either by their fathers or Molly, it was hard to tell.

A knock on the door made us all turn.

"Knock knock. A handsome young gentleman wants to speak to the bride." a familiar voice called through the wood. I covered my mouth with a hand hearing George, barely making out my son's familiar giggle. Ginny approached the door with narrowed eyes. She cracked it open and glanced down, probably at Adam before looking up at someone towering over her.

"Ear check." she stated firmly, reaching a hand through the crack in the doorway, probably to pat over the stump where George's ear was missing, to verify it was him. There was no way in hell Ginny Potter was going to allow Fred to get a sneak peak of his bride. "Okay, come in." she agreed, opening the door to allow my son and the best man to enter the room, both wearing simple dress shirts, as Fred and I wanted a simple wedding.

Adam saw me and scurried over. I picked him up and placed him on my lap, hugging him to me.

"Wow Momma! You look pretty! Dad's really excited to see you, but he was walking back and forth a lot at home. Uncle George says it's because he's nervous you'll run away." Adam stated.

I fixed a firm look on George, who'd entered behind Adam.

George chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, Adam, I said I was joking about that, remember? Your mom wouldn't run off on Freddie, now, would she?"

After that night Draco had hurt Adam, Hermione was able to get us in touch with some people who could help make sure Draco couldn't come near Adam, and after several months, we finally succeeded. Though, that might have had something to do with Draco finally admitting that Adam was better off without him, with a father-figure in his life who could take much better care of him. Apparently, when Draco was a child his father had rather…strict disciplinary techniques, which often involved Draco getting whacked with a cane or smacked across the face. After a long talk with Astoria, Draco decided he didn't want his kids raised that way. So, he decided to step back and let Fred take over as Adam's dad, and he's taking classes to become a better father figure for when he and Astoria have their own child.

When we won the custody issue, Fred took me out on a special date, and proposed. He simply slid a small black box across the dinner table, and when I opened it he asked the question.

When Fred and I told Adam, and explained what that meant, he literally jumped into Fred's arms and gave him the tightest hug he'd ever given anyone before asking the cutest question I'd ever heard.

 _"Does this mean I can call you 'dad' now?"_

I've very rarely seen Fred cry, but I swear he teared up just a little there when he told Adam he'd be honored.

A few days later, a thought had occurred to me and I asked Adam why he'd always called George 'Uncle George', and Bill 'Uncle Bill' and so on, but he'd never called Fred 'Uncle Fred'. He'd answered simply that it didn't sound right.

 _"He never felt like an Uncle to me, Momma. He felt…different. More special. I'm glad I can call him 'dad' now. I like calling him 'dad'."_

And just like that question occurred to me, right now, on my wedding day, another question occurred to me, but I wanted to wait until I was alone with my son to ask him.

"So, is Fred really that nervous?" I asked George sympathetically.

George shrugged. "A little bit." he admitted, moving to sit next to me while the girls all moved to the other side of the room to help each other with any finishing touches. "I don't think he's nervous about you changing your mind. He's still afraid he's pushing you too far too fast. He's worried you'll resent him later in life for making you marry him before you're ready."

I blinked in surprise, a gentle, worried expression sliding over my face. "He told you all that?" I asked quietly.

George shook his head with a small smile. "Nah, twin thing. I just know."

I smiled slightly. "Well,…could you go tell him something?"

George nodded, smile still in place.

"Tell him I've been waiting for this day for a long time. And just like I told him over a year ago, I could never regret anything with him, least of all today. I love him too much to regret this."

George smiled gratefully at me. "I'll go tell him now." he stood up and kissed the top of my head in a brotherly fashion before ruffling Adam's hair a little. "You stay here with your mom. You remember your job?" he checked and Adam nodded seriously. George winked at me, but before he left, he spun Angelina to him and snogged her for a while, making me and Fleur cover Adam and Victoire's eyes. Ginny finally smacked him and chased him out of the room.

When all the girls were ready, Ginny lead them down to the living room of the Burrow to wait and make sure everything was ready, giving me a few minutes alone with my son.

"Hey, Adam? Could I ask you a question?" I asked curiously. He looked up at me from my lap and nodded. "Well,…this is kind of random, but…you always called…Draco 'father'." I paused and watched Adam's expression. He looked a bit worried at the subject but nodded, "Why'd you call him 'father' but you call Fred 'dad'?"

"Is that bad?" Adam asked worriedly.

"Oh, no, no, no. It's not bad at all, either one works fine. I was just wondering."

Adam looked down and shrugged, playing with my hand on his lap. "Well,…Uncle Bill, and Uncle Harry, and Pop are all dads…But Father wasn't like them. He didn't love you like they love Aunt Fleur, or Aunt Ginny, or Nana. He didn't feel like a dad to me. But Fred…he's always felt like a dad to me. He helped teach me things and take care of me, and chased away the nightmares and made me feel better. He loves you, and he loves me. We're a family. So, he's my dad."

I swallowed and blinked away the tears that burned my eyes, not wanting Ginny to freak out about me ruining my makeup. I hugged Adam close to me, kissing the top of his head.

"I love you, Adam." I whispered into his hair. "And Fred loves you so much."

We sat like that for a moment before someone knocked on the door and Ginny entered, telling us it was time.

We went down to the back door of the Burrow. The sun was shining down on the guests all sitting on simple fold up chairs. I could see Fred and the Minister, Kingsley, standing at the front. George was standing next to his twin, and behind him stood Charlie, Ron, and then Bill. Ginny turned to us at the door.

"Okay Adam, you remember your job?" she checked.

Adam nodded. "Yep. I hold Momma's hand and walk down to Dad. Then I go stand by Uncle George."

Ginny nodded with a smile. "Perfect. Good Job." she smiled at me before turning and leading the way down the makeshift isle.

Following her, Hermione and Angelina were the next to go in order. Fleur checked that Victoire knew what she was doing before taking her turn to walk.

Victoire looked nervously back at me and Adam. I smiled gently down at her, and she finally smiled back. Then, she turned and skipped happily down the isle, throwing purple flower petals from the basket she was carrying. Everyone laughed and 'aw'ed over how cute she was. Then, when she reached her mother at the end, I knew it was time.

Adam looked up at me and I nodded. He smiled big before taking my hand and gently tugging it until we both walked out and started down the isle.

Fred's eyes fell on me and he smiled gently, his chest puffing out as he took in a deep breath. We had both talked about having Adam "walk me down the isle" since my father wasn't alive to do so, and I wanted Adam to have a big part in the wedding, since he was a big part of our lives, and he always would be.

When we finally reached the end of the isle, Fred took my free hand and Adam released the one he was holding so he could move to stand in front of George, behind Fred.

Fred then took both my hands as we stood facing each other.

Honestly, the ceremony was a blur to me, I was lost in my thoughts and just answered when I was supposed to. If you asked me to try and tell you everything that was said, I don't think I could. There was, however, a couple phrases I remember:

"You may now kiss the bride."

Fred smirked at me before yanking me to him by the waist and pressing a firm kiss to my lips. When we pulled away he kept one arm around my waist to hold me to him, using his free arm to pick Adam up. This was followed by the second sentence I can actually remember:

"I happily introduce for the first time: Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weasley!"

The applause nearly drowned out Adam yelling, "Me too!", which made me, Fred, Kingsley, George and Ginny laugh, since we were the only ones who heard him.

We all stepped away from our spot, the guests all stood from their seats, and Bill and Charlie waved their wands, causing all the chairs to move into circles of six. Then round, white-clothed tables floated from around the side of the house to be placed in each circle of chairs.

Everyone took seats at tables with people they knew, just met, or hadn't seen in a while.

A couple hours later, after everyone had eaten and Fred and I had our first dance as a married couple, the sun was going down, staining the sky in different oranges, pinks, purples, and blues. Fred and I were sitting at our table, him with his arm behind my chair so I could lean into him. We were watching everyone who was on the dance floor.

Charlie was dancing with one of my coworkers, Maggie. Bill and Fleur were dancing just a ways off while Molly fussed over Dominique at her table. Adam was talking excitedly to Ron and Hermione. George and Angelina were slow dancing, George whispering in her ear, making her giggle. Looking up close, I could see that where George was holding her left hand, he was fiddling with the shiny, new engagement ring on her third finger. Apparently he got permission from Fred to propose to Angelina at the end of his best man speech in front of everyone. While I would've turned the color of a tomato if Fred did that to me, Angelina loved it and practically screamed 'yes'.

I glanced over at my _husband_ beside me, noticing that he, too, was watching his twin, a huge grin spread over his face. I bit my lip for a moment before I rested my hand on his leg.

Fred looked down at me, his huge grin still in place.

"Hey Fred, remember when you told me you wanted to have at least a few kids down the road?" I asked quietly.

Fred's brow furrowed in slight confusion, but his grin slipped into an easy smile. "Yeah. Why?"

I looked down at his leg, where his hand had taken my hand the second I placed it there. "Well, was there a specific time you wanted to start having kids? Like did you want to wait a few years, or…" I trailed off with a shrug, looking back up at him.

His grin slowly morphed into a smirk before he leaned down so his lips were at my ear, his breath hot on my neck.

"If I had my way, you'd be coming home from the honeymoon pregnant." he whispered heatedly, placing a small kiss to my jaw line. I shuttered, closing my eyes for a moment. Our honeymoon was just us staying for a week in a small cottage by the lake in Scotland, just the two of us. George was going to be watching Adam for us, unless Molly decided she was going to take him for a day.

I bit my lip, trying to fight off the bubble of happiness that erupted in my chest. "What about before the honeymoon?" I asked nonchalantly, looking up at him with big, innocent eyes.

Fred lifted one eyebrow as he scanned my face with his eyes. He turned in his chair to face me better, one arm on the back of my chair, his other elbow resting on the table with his hand still holding mine.

"Either this is your way of trying to seduce me into sneaking away for a little bit during our own wedding, which I wouldn't be completely against," he paused to wink at me before continuing, "or you're trying to tell me you're…" he trailed off, eyeing me expectantly. I smiled and nodded. He glanced down at my flat stomach before looking back up at my face, a grin threatening to break out.

"Are you serious?" his voice only came out in a breath. I nodded again, tugging his hand that I was holding and placing it on my stomach, even though I knew I wasn't far enough for him to feel anything, I didn't even have a bump yet, but it was the symbolism behind it.

Fred stared down at his hand, his thumb slowly stroking just under my ribcage.

"You're pregnant." he whispered, looking back up at my face. "How? When?" he asked, his questions becoming excited even as he kept it to a whisper.

"Well, remember last month when you got a little too excited about joining me in the shower?" I asked teasingly, making him grimace slightly.

"I forgot the contraceptive spell, didn't I?" he muttered, running his hand down his face.

"Yeah. But I was right there with you, if that makes you feel any better." I pointed out.

He grinned at me, letting his hand drop. "When did you find out?"

"Last night." I admitted. "When I missed my period last week I figured it couldn't hurt to check."

Fred chuckled, tugging my chair closer to his and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Good thing you're not too far along. If we announced you were pregnant and Mum did the math and found out I knocked you up out of wedlock…" he trailed off with a look of mild horror and fear. I laughed at his expression, burying my face in his neck. Despite finding it funny, I had no doubt Molly would not be pleased.

"We'll just have to wait another month or two before we tell." I answered reassuringly.

Fred nodded, once again placing his hand on my stomach and stroking it with his thumb thoughtfully. "Can't believe it. Three new Weasleys in one day." he mumble with a small smile.

I looked up at him in confusion. "Three?"

Fred smiled at me before leaning in to kiss my lips. "You, Adam, and now our own little one." he whispered happily. I smiled in return. When we had first gotten engaged, Fred had mentioned wanting to make Adam an official Weasley, so today I wasn't the only one to take the name Weasley. Adam was now officially Adam John Weasley, and he had been telling people as much for the past few hours.

"I love you, Fred." I whispered, resting my forehead against his. Fred pressed a kiss to my lips, not removing his forehead from mine.

"And I love you, Annie Weasley." he opened his eyes and thought for a moment, his smile breaking into an excited grin. "Man, I can't wait to tell George!"


End file.
